Anti-inflammatory effects of Apo-9′-fucoxanthinone possesses anti-inflammatory effects via inhibition of MAPKs and NF-kB signaling in LPS-activated RAW264.7 macrophages and zebrafish embryos

Abstract

In this study, we confirmed the anti-inflammatory effect of Apo-9-fucoxanthinone (AF) in in vitro RAW 264.7 cells and in vivo zebrafish model. AF significantly inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Further, AF suppressed cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),respectively. Further mechanistic studies showed that AF suppressed the nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) pathway and phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway molecules such as extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). In LPS-stimulated zebrafish, AF significantly decreased the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), NO and cell death. In addition, the mRNA expression of iNOS, COX-2 and an inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α were shown reduction. According to the results, AF may be effective anti-inflammatory agent for nutraceuticals and functional foods.